


Nobody Knows My Sorrows

by bitsnbobs



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Aaron defending himself, Angst, Confrontation, Everyone (apart from Pete) being horrible really, Gen, M/M, Mentions Aaron's prison trauma, Outbursts, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 19:18:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11111148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitsnbobs/pseuds/bitsnbobs
Summary: Vic, Rebecca, Chrissie, Ross....So many opinions. So much interference. Yet, they don't know Aaron. They don't know him at all.(recent spoilers have rattled me somewhat.)





	Nobody Knows My Sorrows

“Oh come on, Aaron, she’s pregnant,” Vic said pulling his pint, “What was I supposed to do? Throw her out on the street?”

Aaron narrowed his eyes, “She has a big house not far from here.”

“Yeah but-" Vic started but Aaron interrupted, 

“Just forget it, Vic.” He ran a hand down his face. He’d not so long arrived back from a counselling session and he really wasn’t in the mood. Unfortunately, Vic didn’t take the hint,

“You’re still talking to Adam,” she argued, childishly. Aaron took his pint off her with grimace,

“That’s different and you know it.”

Vic didn’t respond, her attention grabbed by Rebecca and Chrissie entering the bar. Aaron looked round and sagged, “You know what? Forget the pint.” He got up to leave in the other direction when a meek voice came from behind him,

“You’re going to have to start facing me.”

Aaron paused and took a deep breath, “Maybe not today, yeah?” He was about to start walking again when a much harsher voice followed,

“You chose to stay with the moron.” 

Closing his eyes, Aaron tried to shake off Chrissie’s comment. He could vaguely hear Vic trying to tell them to let it be but it was another voice that made him stop. 

“Yeah, right loser you are, sticking by him.” Ross. It was Ross that did it. Aaron turned round, ready to launch himself at the man who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. 

“Woah, woah,” Pete cut in from his side, “Let’s not start something, alright?” He had a hand on his smug brother’s chest and one held out ready to prevent Aaron from getting closer. 

“Oh come on, let him have a go,” Ross blew a kiss at Aaron, making him take a dangerous step. 

Pete pushed him back while Finn decided he was going to unhelpfully speak up, “Don’t Ross. Don’t push him.”

Aaron furrowed his brow and faced the younger Barton, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Finn stuttered but before he could respond Ross lent over with a whisper, “I think it means, you have a habit of losing it.”

Pete pushed his brother away again but he needn’t have bothered, Aaron had taken a step backwards. Ross’s comment hurt. He clenched his fists by his side and tried to calm the anxiety he felt rising in his chest. 

“Hey, Aaron?” Pete’s voice sounded far away, “Aaron, are you alright?”

“This is what being with Robert does to you,” Chrissie commented with a vicious snort. 

Aaron heard that. He heard that like a loud, ringing bell. “No,” he said quietly at first but when laughter hit his ears, he shouted it louder, “No!”

Everyone froze. Aaron was shaking, “You’ve got no idea!”

“Aaron, you need to calm down,” Vic said sternly, hands on her hips. 

“Calm down?” Aaron spat, “How do you expect me to calm down when everyone has an opinion? Everyone wants to tell me what I should be doing? How I should be feeling?”

“I don’t” Finn interjected, Pete shooting him a glare. 

“No,” Aaron huffed, “No, you’ll just call the police and send me to hell.”

“Oh don’t be so dramatic,” Ross rolled his eyes but Finn had the grace to look ashamed, 

“I didn’t-"

“Save it,” Aaron waved him off with a dark laugh, “Not like I didn’t deserve prison, is it?”

“It was tough though,” Rebecca spoke up, looking at him with her big, round, doll-like eyes and in that moment Aaron utterly hated her. 

“And you’d know, wouldn’t you?” he gritted out, “Heard all about it before you slept with my husband.”

“It was a mistake,” Rebecca’s face scrunched and she started blinking rapidly. 

"If I hadn't won my appeal, the baby would have been born before I was out," Aaron's voice had started to break and Rebecca had begun crying. Chrissie was immediately on the defensive,

“As I heard it, you took drugs,” she smirked, “Getting high must have been so difficult.”

“Brilliant,” Ross scoffed, “Prison was hell, was it? Druggy.” He shook his head amused and although Pete tried to intervene, this time Aaron was too quick. He had Ross pinned against the bar, a tight grip on his jumper,

“They beat me. Taunted me. They locked me in the cell my rapist dad killed himself in.”

Ross’s eyes widened and he tried to prise himself free, “Ok, ok.”

It was Pete’s hand on his shoulder that made Aaron let go, “Don’t. Don’t touch me.” Pete’s touch felt like a burn and Aaron backed away so fast that he nearly knocked over a table. He swiped at his eyes that were now brimming with tears, 

“None of you know anything,” Aaron sniffed. His voice was quiet but everyone had been shocked into silence by his outburst, “You don’t know me. You know, sometimes, sometimes, that fact that my husband cheated on me…it’s not the worst thoughts that are going through my head. Not even close,” The tears were spilling freely now, “Robert’s been there. He’s stood by me through some really hard times and-and I can’t just forget that.” He glanced around but couldn’t read any expressions, he didn’t really want to, “I’m messed up. We’re messed up. But that’s our business. Not yours. And if you can’t understand that I still love him, then know this; he makes me feel safe. And that- that- I need that.”

Aaron took one last shaky breath and then left. 

No-one spoke. No-one knew what to say.


End file.
